Over the Years ...
Redefining African Stories
Mystery Audio, a subsidiary of Mystery Publishers for audiobook production, is born. Starts offering audiobook production and publishing, starting with the 2022 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing winning short story, ‘Five Years Next Sunday’ by Idza Luhumyo, submitted by Ugandan voiceover artist Catherine Kabuuka Ssempebwa as her sample while auditioning for the voiceover artist position in the company, and the 2022 Afrika Redefined Indie Book Prize-winning book, Echoes of Military Souls by Jerusha Kananu Marete, narrated by musician Kamanu M’tuamwari and celebrated Master of Ceremonies, Mawira M’tuamwari.
Mystery Publishers Limited is once again in the spotlight as it receives the prestigious Print Publishing Company of the Year 2023 – Kenya award in the sixth annual African Excellence Awards. This remarkable achievement marks the third year that Mystery Publishers Limited has been recognised for its exceptional contributions to the publishing industry. The company’s commitment to excellence, innovation, and high-quality content has propelled it to the forefront of the Kenyan publishing landscape and beyond.
Launches the Afrika Redefined Indie Book Prize to recognise African independent writers and quality, professionally self-published books.
- Wins the Top Digitally Fit Publisher 2022 by KenyaOnline
- Awarded Global Excellence Award for the Most Outstanding Pan-African Publishing House – 2022 by Acquisitions International
- Awarded Corporate Live Wire 2022 Digital Publishing Company of the Year – Kenya award
- Awarded African Excellent Award for the Best Independent Digital Publishing Company – Kenya by Middle East & Africa Markets
- Corporate LiveWire Global Excellence Award for the Digital Publishing Company of the Year | Kenya
Mystery Publishers starts offering creative writing and self-publishing courses.
Launches the annual ‘Our Stories Redefined Anthology for African Writing’, a vehicle for new-age African writers to showcase their writing about the current and future of Africa (Afro-currency and Afrofuturism).
The first edition draws 16 submissions from four African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria), but only 12 are published.
Mystery Publishers Limited opens an imprint, Mystery Books, for digital-only (traditional) publishing and book sales.
The company generates enough income to sustain its operations, including financing the publication of Vincent de Paul’s books, thus owning 70% of the books
Mystery Publishers is incorporated as a private limited company and dissociates from the parent company. Six more writers publish with Mystery Publishers between 2016 and 2019.
Mystery Publishers commences operations as a division of Mystery Technologies Limited, an ICT company, offering digital-only (Amazon Kindle) and print-on-demand independent publishing on CreateSpace, an Amazon company, publishing only Vincent de Paul’s (founder) books were published. (Vincent still used his funds to finance the publishing process, owning 100% of the books.)